Almost eight months have passed since The Great Debater dropped and Skyzoo is doing his part to keep it from fading to the back of our memory banks with the release of the “Could’ve Struck The Lotto” video. Weaving his bars between the pensive flute wails, Sky’s words take center stage and remind us that the lyrics are the true lifeblood of this art form. Read the rest of this entry »

The Incomparable Skyler Taylor got game like Denzel, Jesus Shuttlesworth and them. When he’s not dusting off wannabe lyricists, speakers on blast in The Tape Deck with his brother !llmind, he’s playing homebody to some brown sugar muffin cake with golden dimple. It’s a great alternative to pushing metaphors to males all day and night. Read the rest of this entry »

At long last the hypnotic flow & piano line combo that comprise the swan song on Skyzoo & !llmind’s Live From The Tape Deck comes to life. Directer Kenneth Price put together a crisp set of visuals that add another layer to a song that was already as cinematic as you can get without pushing the record button on a camera. Read the rest of this entry »

NYC stand up. Your subwoofers are about to be lyrically inclined with a verbal blitzkrieg from Queens and Brooklyn leading the charge. Still going strong from peddling cassettes for a healthy amount of cigarettes, Skyzoo & !llmind invite the hungeriest G-Unit member and Maino a.k.a. “Slap-A-Jenks” into the cypher for some 4th quarter heat. Read the rest of this entry »

While the Golden Age of the producer-MC collaboration lies years in the past, occasionally a group comes through that reminds Hip-Hop heads why the formula was so effective in the first place. 2010’s flashback is Live from the Tape Deck, a glimpse back to the glory days of Gang Starr and Pete Rock & CL Smooth. Brooklyn native Skyzoo and New Jersey’s !llmind craft 12 tracks of expert workmanship, which if not quite reaching those legendary heights goes the distance in doing their geographical roots proud. Read the rest of this entry »

Strength is generally found in numbers and the pairing of one of Hip-Hop’s most studious lyricists along with a divergent producer proves just that. Live From The Tape Deck, the remarkable collaborative LP from Skyzoo and !llmiind, has plenty of heads reminiscing back to the days when all you needed was a JVC stereo and Shell-Toe Adidas to get by. Read the rest of this entry »

When the lyricism, production and overall execution all align to create an ominous glow, you better have the volume all the way turnt up to damage your inner ear canals. I’m talking hearing aids at age 22 type-ish. Screw it. Hip-Hop is in the building by way of Duck Down Records x Skyzoo x !llmind and the speakers are on blast. Read the rest of this entry »

“I GUESS HOW IT SET IT off will determine how to finish
Finishin’ this is fine, the finish line is the scrimmage
Scrimmagin’ the design, designin’ is by the witness
Witnessin’ from the side, as I’m driftin’ by to the ending
Ending another stanza by beginning to explain it
Explaining an explanation and waiting while you arrange it Read the rest of this entry »

After running circles around their opposition (and throwing them), Skyzoo & !llmind deem in necessary to get back to the mission and blow out some subwoofers. No Rockford Fosgate® or Kenwood is safe when the B.L.A.P. Master starts to tinker with the bells and whistles in his arsenal. And as for Sky, well, as soon as he hears the beat it’s instant Palov mode. Read the rest of this entry »

I know and they know you slept on this whirling dervish of lyricism last time out, but here’s the video so you can actually see what Sky & !llmind are saying.  Along with them playing with their favorite Wham-O® toy. Read the rest of this entry »

Although you may have peeped “Popularity” getting a brief guest spot on HBO’s Entourage this week, “Frisbees,” the first taste of Skyzoo’s joint album with producer !llmind, is the best solo dart we’ve heard from the Brooklynite since “The Beautiful Decay.” Read the rest of this entry »